Category Archives: Yeast

When some very enterprising German brewers decided to store their beer in the frozen Bavarian Alps through the summer time in the early nineteenth century, little did they know of the impact there new “Lager” creation would have on the world of beer. Some of these brewers were so moved by the potential of this wonderous brew that they started to leave their Bavarian breweries to spread the word around Europe and refine this new brewing art. Many on the continent were so moved by the potential of Lager and the Lagering technique that many brewing enterprises started making related products of their own giving rise to styles like the Red Lagers of Vienna. Much credit also needs to be given to Bavarian brewer Josef Groll who, in 1842, took the brave step of heading to a little-known brewing town called Pilsen in the Czech Republic to try out his new lager recipe. Following on from this original Pilsner (Pilsner Urquell), innovations and developments in the likes of glass bottle manufacture and refrigeration coupled with a good helping of migration meant lager quickly became a worldwide success.

Lager is as popular as ever and whether its Pilsner, Helles, Vienna Lager or Schwarzbier you are considering brewing, Murphy and Son is the place for everything you need for a flavoursome quality lager.

Our much treasured, annual free of charge liquor analysis now includes a suggested liquor treatment for lager style beers as standard. If you have not had you liquor checked for a while and you are a Murphys customer please send 50ml of untreated water to our lab for us to check out for you.

Our suggested lager treatment aims for a brewing liquor with adequate calcium for good brewing enzyme activity, yeast flocculation and oxalate and protein precipitation whilst mimicking the low sulphate and chloride levels of Munich and Pilsen for a crisp, light flavour. This is best achieved with suitable additions of lactic acid to reduce alkalinity with low levels of calcium sulphate and calcium chloride to increase calcium ions.

Our new closer ties with Simpsons Malt means that we now have in stock ready for dispatch Finest Lager Malt (crushed). This highest quality malt is slightly higher in Total Nitrogen and slightly under-modified so head / foam and mouthfeel will survive the lagering process. To add to this quality base malt, we can also supply a range of crystal malts, caramalt, wheat malt and Vienna malt (all crushed) direct from our warehouse.

Whether you are looking for traditional varieties of Noble Czech Saaz and German Hallertau hops, or looking to add a dry hop twist to your brew with new world hop pellets, we are very proud of our close relationship with Charles Faram which means we can supply the best hops around to suit your requirements.

On the dried yeast front we are pleased to hold stock of Lallemand Diamond Lager Yeast and three different Fermentis Lager Yeasts. We also supply wet yeast cultures from the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) which houses a vast range of lager strains originating from all over the world which can add the precise character you are looking for.

Flavour control

Diacetyl and Sulphur flavours can be problematic in lagers to help keep things under control we have the perfect products to help.

When added to wort at the start of fermentation, the enzyme Alpha Acetolactate Decarboxylate (ALDC) acts on the diacetyl precursor alpha acetolactate converting it to acetoin. If alpha acetolactate is not present diacetyl can’t be formed so no buttery off flavours in your beer and conditioning time can be reduced.

To help keep sulphur off flavours out of your beer, Murphys have developed two zetolite products for the job. Zetolite 65, when added to wort at the start of fermentation will prevent the formation of sulphur off flavours whilst if you notice the undesirable sulphurous aromas in your fermented product, the addition of Zetolite 63 will stimulate your yeast to reduce H2S and DMS aromas during maturation.

Don’t forget…

…an exuberant bright appearance is important with lagers and at Murphys we carry a huge range of finings and stabilisers to help achieve the desirable crisp look from brewers clarex to Super F, Silica and PVPP products, the Murphys Technical team is on hand to get this just right for you. PGA is also a handy product to help achieve a perfect looking head on dispense.

For further information on any of the products discussed or for general advice and trouble-shooting with lager brewing please contact the Murphys Technical Team.

Can I purchase LalBrew New England East Coast Ale Yeast or WildBrew Sour Pitch from Murphy & Son? The answer is yes! Interested? Please email frances.maud@murphyandson.co.uk or call 0115 978 5494 for prices, advice and availability.

So, what can you expect from these two Lallemand latest? The newest kid on the block is LalBrew New England, officially unveiled yesterday (Nov 13th ’17) and it’s an innovation that’s already causing a stir!

The LalBrew New England is a ready-to-use dried strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae which has been selected for its specific ability to allow hop flavours to remain prominent while also providing the fruity notes championed by the ‘East Coast’ style. The ‘East Coast’ style is a sister style to its West Coast counterpart, but with yeast that naturally produces fruity aromas. An ale with a mixed bouquet of fruit and hops on the nose and when tasted, which is sometimes brewed cloudy and sometimes not.

As we’ve already said, Lalbrew New England is causing quite a stir, the Murphy sales team have already received enquiries and that’s before its official release! In fact, this new yeast has been produced in reaction to a number of customer requests, hence our confidence in its relevance and popularity. It’s also been seen very favourably in the trials executed by several breweries. Like to trial this yourself? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

LalBrew New England isn’t the only innovation we’ve seen from Lallemand recently. The first product in the new WildBrew line, Sour Pitch, has also been making heads turn. A zesty addition to your brew style.

WildBrew Sour Pitch, is a ready-to-use dried bacteria. A strain of Lactobacillus plantarum specifically selected for its ability to produce a wide range of sour beer styles. Some of the styles you can brew with Sour Pitch include, Berliner Weisse, Gose, Lambic, American Wild and Sour IPA. In addition to which, if you choose Sour Pitch when brewing your sour beer style of choice, you can ensure unmatched consistency, effortless application, fully assured performance and unparalleled purity!

What’s the brewing industry reaction? Several breweries around the world have executed highly successful pilot brewing trials with Sour Pitch, the results of which have been overwhelming positive. Pair this with the huge buzz we’ve seen in the industry around Sour Pitch since its release at Drinktec 2017 and it’s undeniable that everyone is looking to try it, or rather “unlock their sour potential”.

Finally, WildBrew Sour Pitch has been designed to assist creativity in brewing, but here are a few tips for its application. The ideal temperature for inoculation of WildBrew Sour Pitch is: 35-38C (95-100.5F) optimal but 30-40C (86-104F) will result in effective souring and the recommended inoculation rate is 10g/hL.

SALE NOW ENDED!

Due to all our new developments in the warehouse and production plant we have stumbled across a few stock items that are either obsolete or are nearing or past their best before date but still have good activity.

Yeast

Quantity

Best Before

Price per pack

Mauri AWRI 1503

500g

May-17

£23.44

Mauri Lager 497

500g

Feb-17

£4.50

Munich Wheat Yeast

500g

May-17

£30.56

Safspirit Malt Whiskey

500g

Mar-17

£22.59

Safspirit American Whiskey

500g

Jan-18

£21.19

Safspirit Fruit

500g

May-17

£19.70

Safspirit Grain

500g

Apr-17

£21.66

If you are interested in any of the above products please contact: frances.maud@murphyandson.co.uk

For good brewing you need a healthy yeast with a good viability, a good cell count and free from contamination.

You can monitor the viability of your yeast by using a methylene blue stain, as dead or dying cells stain blue. The staining can be easily seen under a microscope.

You can perform a yeast count by using a Haemocytometer. A haemocytometer consists of a defined grid etched onto the slide surface. The number of cells per ml can be calculated.

There are two types of microbiological contamination, wild yeasts and bacteria, both these contaminants can cause hazes and off flavours.

You can monitor the presence and levels of contamination using the microscope, by identifying rod shaped bacteria (bacilli) and round shaped bacteria (cocci).

You can observe for wild yeast by looking at cell shape, size, opacity and uniformity. This often goes hand in hand with knowing your own yeast and getting to know its appearance under the microscope .

If you are interested in purchasing a microscope from Murphy and Son Ltd here are the following options:

Why not take part in one of our training days either at your own site or at our historic Prince of Wales Brewery Site in Nottingham?

You will be able to discuss the brewing process with one of our master brewers. Either learning for the first time or retraining in one or more of our specific categories.

All courses cost £85 + vat and include food and drink. Each delegate is given a USB containing the presentations to take home on the day.

All courses here at Nottingham start around 9.30am and finish around 4.30pm.

Available dates are shown below, please book as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If travelling is an issue, you can arrange a training day at your own brewery or at a local location. We can help you create a bespoke course for you. We will charge you our daily consultancy rate plus travel expenses and you can have as many delegates as you wish. We can even arrange for other brewers in your area to attend, who will pay you for the course.

LABORATORY DAY 2017

Thursday 27th April

Thursday 24th August – CANCELLED!

Introducing you to basic science to produce beer with consistent quality. This course will cover the malting process, the mash, enzymes, pH buffering, the boil, protein coagulation, colour increase and flavour changes. You will be advised what equipment can be used to monitor pH’s, colour and bitterness and haze and there will be a demonstration on how to perform an optimisation and much more.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND QUALITY CONTROL AWARENESS 2017

Thursday 25th May

Thursday 28th September

A training day that runs through the “world” of QA and QC. Aim is to arm the brewer ready for their initial foray with the subject. The course will cover: process monitoring and the process, microbiology, record keeping and quality systems i.e what does SALSA and HACCP want and what is it?

(PAST) BEER CLARITY 2017

Thursday 16th February

Thursday 29th June

This course will cover liquor composition and effect on stability, Brewhouse control, carrageenan, isinglass and auxiliary finings and cask preparation. The day ends with a very constructed troubleshooting session which leads to question and answers.

(PAST) YEAST MANAGEMENT 2017

Thursday 30th March

Thursday 13th July

This will cover the general overview of yeast, the fermentation process, handling live yeast, microbiology and cleaning and basic CIP.

The National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC) is the UK’s premier collection of yeast cultures, holding over 4100 strains collected over 65 years.

From supply of yeast in bulk to safe and secure storage of your own strains, the NCYC offers wide ranging services to microbrewers.

Our confidential yeast bank will help you to protect your production yeast against mishaps. Once stored in liquid nitrogen we can guarantee supply of a pure and genetically stable sample whenever you need it.

We also offer purity checks and quality control analysis for your samples.

If you are looking for a special brew opportunity or a more diverse product range, take a look at our catalogue with yeasts from many different beers – styles old and new – from around the world.

The NCYC has a very extensive brewing collection at your service.

Benefits: Safe Deposit Service

Safe and Secure storage of your production yeast

Dedicated liquid nitrogen storage facility

Purity and QC analysis

DNA fingerprinting for detection of strain variation

Confide
ntial service

Insurance against production yeast variants or mutations

Over 30 years of expertise in cryopreservation

Benefits: Liquid Yeast Supply – Bulking up Service

Concentrated Pure liquid yeast ready to pitch (6 x 108 cells/mL)

No propagation needed. Volume ready to Pitch

Quantity ready to pitch from 2 to 30 bbl

Yeast delivered to your Brewery door

Use your own production yeast or select a strain (ale or lager) from our catalogue

Why not take part in one of our training days at our historic Prince of Wales Brewery site in Nottingham

You will be able to discuss the brewing process with one of our master brewers.

YEAST MANAGEMENT

http://www.murphyandson.co.uk/micro-audit/index.html

This will cover the general overview of yeast, the fermentation process, handling live yeast, microbiology and cleaning and basic CIP.

Meet the tutors:

Dr Christine Fleming – Managing Director, Murphy & Son Ltd

Christine studied microbiology at the University of Surrey and completed an MSc in yeast flocculation at Strathclyde University then studied for her Ph.D. in brewing yeast genetics at Bass Breweries. Joining Murphy and Son in 1989, she gained acknowledgement throughout the UK Brewing industry for her technical expertise and knowledge.

Jamie Ramshaw – Technical Sales Representative, Murphy & Son Ltd

Jamie joined the Murphy’s team in August 2011 after working for Wells and Young’s brewery managing the brewing and filtration departments. Prior to that he spent three years with Grainstore brewery in Rutland. A master brewer from Heriot Watt University, Jamie has working experience of the issues faced by brewers, from the microbreweries through to the largest regionals.

Nicholas Brading – Export Manager, Murphy & Son Ltd

A qualified master brewer from Heriot Watt University, Nick has worked in the brewing industry for 30 years, starting at Shipstones brewery then Ruddles Brewery then Carlsberg. During his two years in Bulgaria working for Carlsberg Eastern Europe he has helped develop two breweries at opposite ends of the country that involved new bottling lines, brewhouse and filter cellars. This was preceded by a three year spell in the Baltic Sate of Lithuania where he helped to bring in another acquisition into the Carlsberg family, including the launch of the Carlsberg lager brand. This followed two years at the Carlsberg offices in Copenhagen.

Paul Taylor – Laboratory Manager, Murphy & Son Ltd

Paul Taylor started Murphy’s in 2006 following 9 years at Toyota in the QC department. For the past decade he has been a passionate home brewer and has help establish the Nottingham Brewers Group. Paul has a scientific understanding of brewing and lectures on occasional weekends for the brew school at Hartington’s in Bakewell.

Adam Divall – Senior Microbiologist and Deputy Laboratory Manager

Adam studied microbiology and virology at the University of Leeds and started working at Murphy’s 4.5 years ago after leaving Unilever and before that Cancer research.

Jacopo Ianieri – Microbiologist, Murphy & Son Ltd

A member of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Jacopo studied food biotechnology at Abertay University of Dundee. His M.Sc. research thesis was on legumes (Faba beans) as an alternative raw material in brewing. His academic research also included yeast and alcoholic fermentation in distilling and fuel ethanol production. He started Murphy’s in 2015 and our Microbiologist.

Adam Johnson – Technical Sales Representative

Adam completed a B.Sc. Hons in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt University, part of the course was a summer placement at Carlsberg-Tetley. After graduating he started work for Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar East Lothian (part of Greene King) in the quality department. He then worked at St Austell Brewery in Cornwall as a Technical Brewer, predominately working on Quality Management System and Quality Improvement projects.

In order to supplement the nutrients provided naturally by the malt, a range of carefully formulated yeast foods have been created.

Yeast vit is a specially formulated powdered yeast nutrient and is used both where there are severe yeast nutritional deficiencies and as a yeast maintenance food. Yeast Vit is suitable for yeast propagation.

Munich wheat beer yeast strain is used by a number of commercial breweries to produce a flavourful, full bodied and aromatic Bavarian-style wheat beer. The propagation and drying processes have been specifically designed to deliver high quality beer yeast that can be used simply and reliably to help produce wheat beers of the finest quality. No colours, preservatives or other unnatural substance have been used in its preparation.